Gordon Daugherty

Despite the noise by high-tech corporations, #startups, #VCs, and analysts, we are in the early phase of #generativeAI. While we don't know if it will transform every business process driving operational efficiencies, create new revenue streams, result in massive productivity improvements, and curtail costs, the early signs are encouraging for pilot projects.

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Want to build wealth faster? Skip startups. Buy Boring Old Businesses. Here’s why: 1. They’re already making money. 2. They come with customers, systems, and momentum. 3. They’re undervalued – 2.5x profits is standard. 4. SBA loans or seller financing make them accessible. 5. Easy profit boosters: raise prices or add new products. 6. They’re easier to scale than startups. Startups fail 65% of the time within the first 5 years. But "boring" businesses? They’re built to last. Don’t build from scratch. Buy something proven. If you could buy a "boring" business, what type of business would you buy?

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I've traveled to a lot of great crypto and digital asset conferences over the years, including the Texas Blockchain Council's North American Blockchain Summit, Blockworks' Digital Asset Summit, CoinDesk's Consensus, and Untraceable Events' Blockchain Futurist Conference. The crypto and digital asset conference circuit for the back half of the year is heating up! Where should the CryptoEQ and Event Horizon Capital teams head next?

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🧬 This week's Austin Bio & Health Roundup highlights exciting exits, partnerships, insightful conversations, & updates from across Texas Bio Triangle 🧬 💸 Venture Exits SuperTruth has acquired imaware, the at-home testing and infrastructure platform, marking a significant step forward in catalyzing better health outcomes with data and AI. Huge congrats to Jani Tuomi, Brodie Flanders, and the entire imaware team! 🤝 Partnership and M&A KdT Ventures has licensed NGM313, a Phase 2-ready asset, from NGM Biopharmaceuticals. KdT formed a NewCo around the asset, with Managing Director Cain McClary, MD stating, “We believe this drug has the potential to alleviate suffering in a large patient population who currently have no disease-modifying treatments.” Babson Diagnostics expanded its partnership with BD, integrating BD’s MiniDraw System with Babson’s Betterway technology. This expansion now includes health systems and larger provider networks. Keep up the momentum, David Stein, Eric Olson, and the rest of the Babson team! 💡 Insights from Local Builders and Innovators It’s always inspiring when two smart friends share ideas. Micha Y. Breakstone 🇮🇱🎗️ joined Taylor Capito on The GenBio Podcast to discuss cell engineering and the future of biotech. I sat down with Ian Wendt and Na-Ri Oh on The RealPharma Podcast to discuss TechBio, business model disruption, and Austin's role in this shift. 🤠 Texas Bio Triangle Dallas-based SpinSci Technologies LLC secured $53M to expand its AI-enhanced patient engagement platform. Congrats Rajit Kumar! Rice University and Houston Methodist announced the launch of a Digital Health Institute “showcasing the transformative potential of combining medicine and engineering to shape the future of health care” What’s Next?

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🌟 Join Our Panel Discussion on Licensing vs. Manufacturing: Are you navigating the decision between licensing and manufacturing for your software, hardware, or physical product? I'll be speaking from the US Government Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today at 11 AM virtually: 🔗 Event Link: https://lnkd.in/g3VTnCvq What you'll learn: - Pros and cons of licensing vs. manufacturing - What companies need to see to license your product - What can and cannot be licensed - What you need to know to manufacture Thank you Larry Udell for organizing this wonderful event! #Engineering #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #USPTO #IntellectualProperty

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Exciting news! We just sent out the inaugural newsletter for Future Frontier Capital, our pre-seed venture fund backing frontier tech startups. As I hit "send," I realized how launching FFC parallels the path of the founders we support. Starting FFC has required the same passion, perseverance, and self-belief that drive entrepreneurs. Just like a startup, getting a VC fund off the ground demands relentless hustle—building the brand, perfecting the pitch, and networking tirelessly. There are constant challenges that test your resolve and endless hours of unglamorous work behind the scenes. And perhaps most daunting - the self-doubt, wondering if you're crazy for attempting something so bold. Pushing through that negative self-talk requires unshakable faith in your mission. Raising this VC fund reminds me of starting our IP strategy and patent analytics firm two decades ago. It’s a powerful reminder of the perseverance, creativity, and resilience needed to turn an ambitious idea into reality. This experience makes us more empathetic partners, ready to support the founders we back. Our work is just beginning, and this inaugural newsletter underscores our commitment to supporting frontier tech startups every step of the way. #startups #VentureCapital #EmergingManagers #Entrepreneurship #InnovationMindSet

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LLM Hallucination Index - Galileo https://buff.ly/3UWF5RL by @rungalileo valuable roadmap for businesses increasingly rely on #LLMs to power their operations, understanding how these models manage context and reduce hallucinations is critical! #rafAIgual #Enterprise #adoption

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We must increase the pipeline, consistency, and handoff of capital flows across the evidence-building tiers to advance a more robust research and development #edtech infrastructure. Read the latest resource from GETN-US: https://lnkd.in/dWn4pHdy Grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to this piece & learn from collaborators: Stephanie (Short) Loeck, Erin Mote from InnovateEDU, Katie Boody Adorno from Leanlab Education, Malvika Bhagwat from Owl Ventures, Amber Oliver from the Robin Hood Learning & Technology Fund. This latest resource follows the Fall 2023 Tenets & Principles of EdTech Trialing Networks & Environments resource ( https://lnkd.in/diKef5ww) outlined a new shared language to drive a modernized and equity-centered approach to conducting EdTech R&D in learning environments. The report includes a summary of the barriers to and benefits of a more robust innovation infrastructure and the guiding ideas – four tenets and ten principles – necessary to yield unprecedented breakthroughs in the field. Read this resource here: https://lnkd.in/dWn4pHdy GETN-US is a collaborative group of EdTech researchers, founders, nonprofits, and capital providers—venture capitalists, philanthropists, and federal leaders—from the United States committed to working together to accelerate the success and scale of effective, usable products that enhance students’ learning. The Global Edtech Trialing Network is a collaborative effort supported by the Jacobs Foundation to advance best practices in the field of edtech co-development and evaluation through “testbeds” or authentic school environments in which to trial emerging education technologies.

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Fueled by Dr. Goldstein's invaluable insights, we're on a relentless quest to push the boundaries of AI and ML further than ever before. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AT7jy #MachineLearningSolutions #TacklingComplexChallenges #LarryGoldstein #PioneersAi #ApplicationDevelopment #UnderstandUserRequirements #OnceThoughtImpossibleTotallyDoable #CraftPredictiveModels #CrewSNavigationalSkills #OptimizingInvestmentPortfolios

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Just finished reading "The Next Giant Leap" by Space Capital - a pioneering VC investing in the emerging Space Economy. The report speaks to how SpaceX’s Starship is more than just the most powerful rocket ever built—it is poised to reshape the global space economy in profound ways. With its immense payload capacity, reusable design, and lower cost per launch, Starship will unlock entirely new industries and transform existing business models. But how should industries and businesses evolve to align with this paradigm shift? 📈 Rethinking Business Strategies & Supply Chains - For businesses, Starship represents an era of mass-production over precision engineering. This means moving away from the focus on mass efficiency toward cost-effective, redundant, and scalable production. - In terms of supply chains, this opens opportunities for new players in manufacturing, materials, and space components. The demand for off-the-shelf parts and non-aerospace suppliers will rise dramatically. 💡 New Use Cases & Opportunities   The opportunities Starship unlocks go beyond launching satellites. - In-space manufacturing of high-value products like pharmaceuticals and advanced materials that cannot be created on Earth. - Mega-constellations of satellites for global broadband, expanding on what Starlink has already begun. - In-orbit assembly and servicing, allowing for larger space structures like telescopes or even habitats to be built in orbit, radically reducing costs. - Lunar infrastructure and resource extraction will become more viable, paving the way for sustainable human presence on the Moon and, eventually, Mars. 📊 What Should Businesses Do Now?   1. Embrace Redundancy & Scale – Instead of focusing on one-off, high-cost solutions, businesses should embrace redundancy and mass production.    2. Simplify Design – With Starship’s payload capacity, there is less pressure to optimize for mass efficiency. Simplified, scalable designs will allow for faster production and iteration cycles, akin to how SpaceX rapidly tests and evolves Starship itself. 3. Develop Strategic Partnerships – Collaborating with forward-thinking space startups, suppliers, and even non-aerospace sectors will be essential to capitalize on the opportunities Starship provides. 🌌 A New Era of Innovation   Starship will democratize access to space, lowering the barriers for businesses to create and scale. The next decade will witness breakthroughs in scientific exploration, energy production, and in-space transportation that we can only begin to imagine today. #SpaceEconomy #Starship #Innovation #SupplyChain #Manufacturing #SpaceTech #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfSpace https://lnkd.in/gNdbwXdq

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The #AI supply chain gets stronger as Google TPG Rise Climate and others invest $800M in Intersect Power boosting #cleanenergy for hyperscalers expanding data centers to meet AI demand. Acrew Capital HITEC Angeles Investors Insight Partners Amazon Web Services (AWS) Wells Fargo

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Once overlooked but now rapidly gaining traction, GovTech is set for disruption! 🤓💡 I've just published an in-depth overview of the GovTech market. It explores key players, innovative solutions, and market segments that are shaping the future of government operations and public services. 🏛️🚌 From public safety management to civic engagement, procurement, and analytics, the GovTech landscape is brimming with opportunities for both startups and established companies to make a significant impact. 📈💼 https://lnkd.in/gWnn_WMn #GovTech #Innovation #PublicServices #GovernmentOperations #venturecapital #startups

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Will co-opetition bring driverless cars to market faster? Uber and Lyft have abandoned their own self-driving car initiatives in favor of partnerships. They are saving billions of dollars in R&D investment to focus on their core competencies. And they are partnering with Waymo, May Mobility and other driverless car companies to deliver robotaxis to the market faster. Is this a long-range prediction? In San Francisco, you can already find yourself in a self-driving car. You will see these robotaxis in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Austin, and other markets in the coming year. Sometimes the best innovation comes from rethinking your core business. And other times, it comes from narrowing your focus and picking best of breed partners. 2025 will be a year of continued innovation in transportation technology! https://lnkd.in/eDssNeTU

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Top Tech Trends of 2025 Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has spotlighted transformative tech ideas set to shape industries in 2025: 📈 AI-Powered Energy Needs: Reviving nuclear energy for resilient grids. 🖥️ Hardware-Software Synergy: Engineers blending AI with manufacturing. 🚀 Space Innovation: Reusable rockets enabling faster transport and new industries. 🤖 Decentralized Defense: AI-powered drones shaping military tech. 🌐 XR for Developers: AR/VR tools like Vision Pro driving spatial computing. 🌍 Earth Observation Data: Satellites unlocking new industry solutions. 🤝 Generalized Robots: Robotic data collection to accelerate AI. 📡 Optical Communications: Faster, more direct data transmission. Explore the full insights here: https://lnkd.in/gMT4nbhz #TechTrends #AI #Innovation #FutureTech #CFOInsights

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For those interested in AI M&A, I highly recommend the below article. Thanks Matthew A. Black for the plug. The future of tech roll-ups with Synthetic Software Roll-Ups... Instead of acquiring entire businesses, this approach focuses on leveraging AI-driven platforms to enhance efficiency and unlock value in legacy industries without the full acquisition cost. It’s a leaner, faster strategy that can scale quickly while mitigating traditional roll-up risks. AI is rewriting the playbook for multiple arbitrage and this article reinforces why and how AI can actually work for many acquiring firms. Whether it's acquiring a platform for vertical SaaS or acquiring SaaS for a platform. AI will provide cost savings and operational efficiencies in nearly every industry vertical. Question is, how do you source the right AI company/team to move your market?

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